Embroidery unit cover, side table for sewing machine, and sewing machine

ABSTRACT

An embroidery unit cover that covers an embroidery unit that is to be attached to a sewing machine for sewing embroidery that includes a planar portion that forms a substantially horizontal surface combined with a bed portion of the sewing machine and a free arm portion provided to the bed portion, a peripheral wall portion that runs continuously along a peripheral border of the planar portion and that extends vertically downward from the planar portion, and a first engagement portion that is disposed on the peripheral wall portion and that is structured to be attached to and detached from a second engagement portion disposed on at least one of the bed portion and the free arm portion. When the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are engaged with each other, the embroidery unit cover forms a side table with the free arm portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No.2007-180339, filed Jul. 9, 2007, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to an embroidery unit cover that forms aside table attachable to and detachable from a sewing machine, a sidetable that forms a cover to be disposed over and that covers anembroidery unit, and a sewing machine to which an embroidery unit coverand a side table can be attached to and detached from.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 11-207075discloses a dedicated cover for an embroidery unit that can be attachedto a free arm portion of a sewing machine that is to be used for sewingan embroidery. The dedicated cover is used to prevent dust, etc., fromentering the moving portions of the sewing machine when the sewingmachine is housed or stored. Further, the dedicated cover has a planerportion and side walls that are formed on the peripheral border of theplaner portion and so that the cover can be disposed to cover theembroidery unit from the above.

Another Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No.2006-149949, discloses a side table that can be attached to a free armportion of a sewing machine that is to be used. The side table isequipped with a substantially U-shaped support leg and an engagementportion which can be engaged with the body of the sewing machine,thereby making it possible to secure a large work cloth support surfacewhen combined with a bed portion and the free arm portion.

The above-described dedicated cover for the embroidery unit is removedfrom the body of the embroidery unit when the embroidery unit isattached to the sewing machine that is to be used. In thisconfiguration, because the removed dedicated cover itself is of no use,a problem arises because a space for the cover may block the work spacethat is intended for the sewing machine during sewing. Further, theabove-described side table is also removed from the body of the sewingmachine when the table is not used or when the sewing machine is housed.In this configuration, a problem also arises because a space for theremoved side table may block the work space for the sewing machineduring sewing.

SUMMARY

Various exemplary examples of the general principles herein provide anembroidery unit cover that forms a side table that is attachable to anddetachable from a free arm portion of a sewing machine, a side tablethat forms a cover for covering an embroidery unit, and a sewing machineto which an embroidery unit cover and a side table can be attached toand detached from.

Exemplary examples provide an embroidery unit cover that covers anembroidery unit to be attached to a sewing machine for sewing anembroidery. The embroidery unit cover includes a planar portion thatforms a substantially horizontal surface combined with a bed portion ofthe sewing machine and a free arm portion provided to the bed portion, aperipheral wall portion that runs continuously along a peripheral borderof the planar portion and that extends vertically downward from theplanar portion, and a first engagement portion that is disposed on theperipheral wall portion and that is structured to be attached to anddetached from a second engagement portion disposed on at least one ofthe bed portion and the free arm portion. When the first engagementportion and the second engagement portion are engaged with each other,the embroidery unit cover forms a side table with the free arm portion.

Exemplary examples provide a side table that is to be attached to asewing machine. The side table includes a planar portion that forms asubstantially horizontal surface combined with a bed portion of thesewing machine and a free arm portion provided to the bed portion, aperipheral wall portion that runs continuously along a peripheral borderof the planar portion and that extends vertically downward from theplanar portion, a first engagement portion that is disposed on theperipheral wall portion and that is structured to be attached to anddetached from a second engagement portion disposed on at least one ofthe bed portion and the free arm portion, and a first locking portionthat locks with an embroidery unit to be attached to the sewing machinefor sewing embroidery. The side table forms a cover that can be placedover the embroidery unit.

Exemplary examples provide a sewing machine to which an embroidery unitcover can be attached to and detached from. The sewing machine includesa bed portion, a free arm portion, and a second engagement portion thatis provided on at least one of the bed portion and the free arm portion.The embroidery unit cover includes a planar portion that forms asubstantially horizontal surface combined with a bed portion of thesewing machine and the free arm portion provided to the bed portion, aperipheral wall portion that runs continuously along a peripheral borderof the planar portion and that extends vertically downward from theplanar portion, and a first engagement portion that is disposed on theperipheral wall portion and that is structured to be attached to anddetached from a second engagement portion disposed on at least one ofthe bed portion and the free arm portion. When the first engagementportion and the second engagement portion are engaged with each other,the embroidery unit cover forms a side table with the free arm portion.

Exemplary examples provide a sewing machine to which a side table can beattached to and detached from. The sewing machine includes a bedportion, a free arm portion, and a second engagement portion that isprovided on at least one of the bed portion and the free arm portion.The side table includes a planar portion that forms a substantiallyhorizontal surface combined with the bed portion of the sewing machineand the free arm portion provided to the bed portion, a peripheral wallportion that runs continuously along a peripheral border of the planarportion and that extends vertically downward from the planar portion, afirst engagement portion that is disposed on the peripheral wall portionand that is structured to be attached to and detached from a secondengagement portion disposed on at least one of the bed portion and thefree arm portion, and a first locking portion that locks with anembroidery unit to be attached to the sewing machine for sewingembroidery. The side table forms a cover that can be placed over theembroidery unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary examples of the disclosure will be described below in detailwith reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sewing machine as viewed from thediagonally forward right;

FIG. 2 is a left side view of a sewing machine;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embroidery unit as viewed from thediagonally forward right;

FIG. 4 is a right side view of an embroidery unit;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a sewing machine to which the embroideryunit is attached as viewed from the diagonally forward right;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of an embroidery unit cover;

FIG. 7 is a right side view of an embroidery unit cover;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an embroidery unit cover as viewed fromthe diagonally forward right;

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the embroidery unit cover;

FIG. 10 is an arrow-directional cross-sectional view taken along lineX-X of FIG. 6 in an a configuration where support legs axially supportedon the embroidery unit cover are kept in a substantially verticalposture;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an embroidery unit covered by anembroidery unit cover as viewed from the diagonally forward right;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a sewing machine to which an embroideryunit cover is attached as viewed from the diagonally forward right;

FIG. 13 is a plan view of a sewing machine to which an embroidery unitcover is attached; and

FIG. 14 is a left side view of a sewing machine to which an embroideryunit cover is attached.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following will describe an example of the present disclosure withreference to FIGS. 1-14. The referential drawings are used to describetechnological features that may be employed. Therefore, the describedconfigurations, etc., of apparatuses are not intended to be restrictive,but merely illustrative.

First, an outlined configuration of the body of a sewing machine 1 willbe described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In the followingdescription, with reference to FIG. 2, the right side of the paper isreferred to as “front side of the sewing machine 1” and the left sidethereof is referred to as “rear side of the sewing machine 1”, the upperside thereof is referred to as “upper side of the sewing machine 1” andthe lower side thereof is referred to as “lower side of the sewingmachine 1”, and the side of the paper toward the viewer is referred toas “left side of the sewing machine 1” and the side thereof away fromthe viewer is referred to as “right side of the sewing machine 1”.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sewing machine 1 has a right-to-leftdirectionally long bed body portion 2, a pillar 5 that is erected upwardfrom the right end of the bed body portion 2, and an arm portion 6 thatextends leftward from the upper end of the pillar 5 and faces the bedbody portion 2. The left end portion of the arm portion 6 is referred toas a head portion 7.

The bed body portion 2 is comprised of a bed portion 3 that extends fromthe bottom of the pillar 5, and a free arm-portion 4 that is extended aconfiguration such that one end thereof is supported at a substantiallycenter position of the left end of the bed portion 3. The back-to-forthdirectional width of the free arm portion 4 is about ⅔ of the width ofthe bed portion 3. Further, the upper surface of the bed portion 3 ispositioned substantially at the same height as the height of the freearm portion 4, so that the upper surfaces of the bed portion 3 and thefree arm portion 4 are combined to form a substantially horizontalsurface.

Provided on the front surface of the arm portion 6 is a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD) 16 that includes a touch panel. The LCD 16 displays thekeys, etc., for inputting sewing pattern and sewing conditions. A user'stouch at a position corresponding to any one of those input keys will bedetected by the touch panel. Thus, such a configuration enables the userto select a sewing pattern and the sewing conditions. The free armportion 4 houses a feed dog back-to-forth movement mechanism (not shown)and a feed dog up-and-down movement mechanism (not shown) that drive afeed dog (not shown), a feed adjustment pulse motor (not shown) thatadjusts a feed amount of a work cloth by the feed dog, a shuttle (notshown) that contains a bobbin thread, etc. At the lower end of the headportion 7, a sewing needle 8 and a presser foot 9 are provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, at the front side of the left side surface of thebed portion 3, a rectangular recessed engagement portion 20 is formed.The engagement portion 20 is disposed at a substantially center positionin the up-and-down direction at the front side of the left side surfaceof the bed portion 3. The engagement portion 20 may be formed in theshape of a substantially rectangular frame as viewed from the side whoselongitudinal direction is in the up-and-down direction. Further, in theengagement portion 20 (hereinafter referred to as “first femaleengagement portion 20”), a female electrical connector 24 is provided.The female electrical connector 24 is used by the sewing machine 1 tocontrol the operations of an embroidery unit 30 (see FIG. 3 later) whenthe embroidery unit 30 is attached. When the female electrical connector24 and an electrical connector 37 (see FIG. 3 later) that is provided tothe embroidery unit 30 (see FIG. 3 later) are connected to each other,the sewing machine 1 can control the embroidery unit 30 (see FIG. 3later) through electrical communications.

At the upper front side of the left side surface of the free arm portion4, a substantially rectangular recessed portion (hereinafter referred toas “second female engagement portion 21) whose longitudinal direction isin the up-and-down direction is formed over the front side surface.

Next, an outlined configuration of the embroidery unit 30 will bedescribed below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. The embroidery unit 30is used to sew an embroidery in a configuration such that the embroideryunit 30 is attached to the bed body portion 2 (see FIG. 1) of the sewingmachine 1. In the following description, with reference to FIG. 4, theleft side of the paper is referred to as “front side of the embroideryunit 30” and the right side thereof is referred to as “rear side of theembroidery unit 30”, the upper side thereof is referred to as “upperside of the embroidery unit 30” and the lower side thereof is referredto as “lower side of the embroidery unit 30”, and the side of the papertoward the viewer is referred to as “right side of the embroidery unit30” and the side thereof away from the viewer is referred to as “leftside of the embroidery unit 30”.

As shown in FIG. 3, the embroidery unit 30 has a laterally-placedsubstantial U-shape in plan view. The back-to-forth directional lengthof a body portion of the embroidery unit 30 is a little larger than theback-to-forth directional length of the bed body portion 2 (see FIG. 1)of the sewing machine I (see FIG. 1). Further, the right-to-leftdirectional length of the body portion of the embroidery unit 30 may beabout 1.5 times the length of the free arm portion 4 (see FIG. 1). Theshape of a sandwiched portion 46 at the center of the laterally-placedsubstantial U-shape in plan view may be almost the same shape of thefree arm portion 4 (see FIG. 1) of the sewing machine 1 in plan view.The embroidery unit 30 may be used in a configuration such that thesandwiched portion 46 is fitted to the free arm portion 4 (see FIG. 1)of the sewing machine 1 (see FIG. 1).

The embroidery unit 30 has a box-shaped structure that includes an upperplanar portion 31, a peripheral wall portion 32, and a bottom portion(not shown). The peripheral wall portion 32 runs along the peripheralborders of the upper planar portion 31 and the bottom portion (notshown) and extends perpendicular to the upper planar portion 31 and thebottom portion (not shown). The height of the peripheral wall portion 32is almost the same as the vertical width of the bed body portion 2 (seeFIG. 1) of the sewing machine 1 (see FIG. 1).

The embroidery unit 30 may be provided with a Y-carriage mechanism 34that protrudes upward above the upper planar portion 31. The Y-carriagemechanism 34 incorporates a Y-directional transport mechanism that maybe used to transport an embroidery frame 33 in the Y-direction, which isthe back-to-forth direction of the bed body portion 2(see FIG. 1) of thesewing machine 1. Further, An X-directional transport mechanism (notshown) may be incorporated below the upper planar portion 31. TheX-directional transport mechanism may be used to transport theY-carriage mechanism 34 in the X-direction (right-to-left direction ofthe bed body portion 2), which is orthogonal to the Y-direction.Further, in the front part of the upper planar portion 31, a slit 39 maybe formed that extends in the right-to-left direction. The X-directionaltransport mechanism and the Y-carriage mechanism 34 are connected toeach other in such a manner so as to sandwich the slit 39. If theX-directional transport mechanism and the Y-carriage mechanism 34operate in this configuration, the embroidery frame 33 may operate. Sucha configuration may enable the movement of the embroidery frame 33 to anarbitrary position in the X-Y plane.

Further, the embroidery unit 30 may include two arm portions 47 and 48that protrude rightward. An engagement wall 35 protrudes from the rightside peripheral wall 44 at the end of a front-side arm portion 47. Theengagement wall 35 has such a shape that rectangular walls are placedtogether to form a substantially rectangular frame, as viewed in sideplan, whose longitudinal direction is in the up-and-down direction. In aportion enclosed by the engagement wall 35 (hereinafter referred to as“first engagement portion 35”), an electrical connector 37 may beincorporated. The first engagement portion 35 faces the first femaleengagement portion 20 (see FIG. 1) that is formed as a recess in the bedportion 3 (see FIG. 1) when the embroidery unit 30 is attached to thesewing machine 1 (see FIG. 1). When the embroidery unit 30 is attachedto the sewing machine 1 (see FIG. 1), the first engagement portion 35and the first female engagement portion 20 (see FIG. 2) are engaged witheach other so that the embroidery unit 30 may be held by the sewingmachine 1 (see FIG. 1). Moreover, the electrical connector 37 that isincorporated in the portion enclosed by the engagement wall 35 serves toelectrically connect to the female electrical connector 24 of the sewingmachine 1 (see FIG. 1). When the first engagement portion 35 and thefirst female engagement portion 20 (see FIG. 1) are engaged with eachother, the female electrical connector 24 and the electrical connector37 are electrically connected to each other.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a protruding portion 43 (hereinafterreferred to as “second engagement portion 43”) protrudes from a portionwhere a rear-side peripheral wall portion (not shown) of the front-sidearm portion 47 (see FIG. 3) of the embroidery unit 30 comes in contactwith a left-side peripheral wall 45 of the sandwiched portion 46sandwiched between the arm portions 47 and 48. The second engagementportion 43 may be substantially T-shaped as viewed in side plan, havingthe rear-side peripheral wall portion (not shown) as its bottom. Whenthe embroidery unit 30 is attached to the sewing machine 1, the secondengagement portion 43 faces the second female engagement portion 21 (seeFIG. 1) that is formed as a recess in the free arm portion 4 (see FIG.1). When the embroidery unit 30 is attached to the sewing machine 1 (seeFIG. 1), the second engagement portion 43 and the second femaleengagement portion 21 are engaged with each other so that the embroideryunit 30 may be held by the sewing machine 1 (see FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 3, in the peripheral wall portion 32 of the outersurfaces of the arm portion 47, at the middle in the right-to-leftdirection, a female locking portion 40 that has a substantiallyrectangular recessed shape, as viewed in side plan, and whoselongitudinal direction is in the right-to-left direction, extends overthe upper planar portion 31. Further, from a portion where the femalelocking portion 40 comes in contact with the upper planar portion 31, alocking portion 41 protrudes (hereinafter, a combination of the femalelocking portion 40 and the locking portion 41 is referred to as “femalelocking portion 42”). Locking portions 67 (see FIG. 5 later) are lockedat the locking portion 41 when the embroidery unit cover 60 is placedover the embroidery unit 30 from above. Such a configuration enables theembroidery unit cover 60 (see FIG. 6 later) to be fixed to theembroidery unit 30.

Next, an outlined configuration of the sewing machine 1 in aconfiguration such that the embroidery unit 30 is attached will bedescribed below with reference to FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 5, in a configuration such that the embroidery unit 30is attached to the sewing machine 1 in order to sew an embroidery, thefree arm portion 4 of the sewing machine 1 is fitted to the sandwichedportion 46 (see FIG. 3) having the laterally-placed and substantialU-shape of the embroidery unit 30. Then, the first engagement portion 35(see FIG. 3) and the first female engagement portion 20 (see FIG. 1) areengaged with each other, while the second engagement portion 43 (seeFIG. 3) and the second female engagement portion 21 (see FIG. 1) areengaged with each other. Then, the embroidery unit 30 may be held by thesewing machine 1 in a configuration such that an upper surface 51 of thebed portion 3 of the sewing machine 1, an upper surface 52 of the freearm portion 4, and the upper planar portion 31 of the embroidery unit 30are combined to form a substantially horizontal surface. The embroideryunit 30 is stably supported on the floor surface because the verticalwidth of a side surface 53 of the bed portion 3 of the sewing machine 1and the vertical width of the peripheral wall portion 32 of theembroidery unit 30 are almost the same width as each other.

In this configuration, the female electrical connector 24 (see FIG. 1)of the sewing machine 1 may be electrically connected to the electricalconnector 37 (see FIG. 3) of the embroidery unit 30. Therefore,electrical communications are established between the sewing machine 1and the embroidery-unit 30. In response to input information entered bythe user through the LCD 16, the sewing machine 1 controls theX-directional transport mechanism and the Y-carriage mechanism 34 of theembroidery unit 30, thereby operating the embroidery frame 33.Accordingly, an embroidery may be sewed by the sewing machine 1.

Next, an outlined configuration of the embroidery unit cover 60 will bedescribed below with reference to FIGS. 6-10. The embroidery unit cover60 can be placed over the embroidery unit 30 (see FIG. 3) and used as acover to prevent dust, etc., from entering the embroidery unit 30 (seeFIG. 3). The embroidery unit cover 60 can be attached to the sewingmachine 1 (see FIG. 1) and used also as a side table when sewing apattern on a large work cloth. In the following description, withreference to FIG. 6, the left side of the paper is referred to as “leftside of the embroidery unit cover 60” and the right side thereof isreferred to as “right side of the embroidery unit cover 60”, the upperside thereof is referred to as “rear side of the embroidery unit cover60” and the lower side thereof is referred to as “front side of theembroidery unit cover 60”, and the side of the paper toward the vieweris referred to as “upper side of the embroidery unit cover 60” and theside thereof away from the viewer is referred to as “lower side of theembroidery unit cover 60”.

As shown in FIG. 6, the embroidery unit cover 60 has a plate-shapedplanar portion 61 having a substantially laterally-placed U-shape inplan view as its upper surface. The back-to-forth length of theembroidery unit cover 60 may be a little larger than the back-to-forthlength of the bed body portion 2 (see FIG. 1) of the sewing machine 1(see FIG. 1). The right-to-left length of the embroidery unit cover 60may be about 1.5 times of the right-to-left length of the free armportion 4 (see FIG. 1). The shape of the planar portion 61 may be almostthe same as the shape of the upper planar portion 31 (see FIG. 3) of theembroidery unit 30 (see FIG. 3). Therefore, the embroidery unit cover 60can be placed over the embroidery unit 30 (see FIG. 3) from the above.The shape of a sandwiched portion 79 sandwiched between two arm portions80 and 81 that extend rightward may be almost the same as a planar shapeof the free arm portion 4 (see FIG. 1). Therefore, it is possible to fitthe sandwiched portion 79 to the free arm portion 4 (see FIG. 1).

Among peripheral wall portions 64, 65, 68, and 69 (see FIG. 7 later)extending along the peripheral border of the planar portion 61, aperipheral wall portion 64 at the end of the front side arm portion 80may be provided with a third engagement portion 62 that protrudesrightward. Further, at the front side of a peripheral wall portion 65,on the left side surface of a sandwiched portion 79, and sandwichedbetween the arm portions 80 and 81 extending rightward, a fourthengagement portion 63 that protrudes rightward may be provided.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the embroidery unit cover 60 has peripheralwall portions 64, 65, 68, and 69 that run continually along theperipheral border of the planar portion 61 and that extend verticallydownward from the planar portion 61. The peripheral wall portions 64,65, 68, and 69 may be sufficiently higher than the Y-carriage mechanism34 (see FIG. 3) that protrudes from the upper surface of the embroideryunit 30. The peripheral wall portions 64, 65, 68, 69 have a height ofabout ⅔ of the bed portion 3 (see FIG. 1). Therefore, the peripheralwall portions 64, 65, 68, 69 may be high enough to cover the Y-carriagemechanism 34 (see FIG. 3) in a configuration such that the embroideryunit cover 60 is used as a cover over the embroidery unit 30 (see FIG.3).

On the outer front-side peripheral wall portion 68 and the outerrear-side peripheral wall portion 69, downward protruding lockingportions 67 and 66 are respectively provided. At each end of the lockingportions 67 and 66, an inward protruding locking portion may beprovided. The protruding locking portion may be configured so that itcan be locked by the locking portion 41 (see FIG. 3) of the embroideryunit 30 (see FIG. 3).

As shown in FIG. 8, the third engagement portion 62 that protrudes fromthe peripheral wall portion 64 of the arm portion 80 and that extendsrightward may have a structure such that rectangular walls are placedtogether to form a substantially rectangular frame shape in which thelongitudinal direction is in the vertical direction. The thirdengagement portion 62 may have its lower portion sticking out from thelower end of the peripheral wall portion 64 by about ¼ of itslongitudinal width. As shown in FIG. 7, the fourth engagement portion 63that protrudes from the peripheral wall portion 65 of the sandwichedportion 79 sandwiched between the two arm portions 80 and 81 and thatextends rightward may include walls that form a substantially E-shape asa whole, as viewed in side plan. Further, due to its shape, the thirdengagement portion 62 can be engaged with the first female engagementportion 20 (see FIG. 1) in the sewing machine 1 (see FIG. 1). Inaddition, due to its shape, the fourth engagement portion 63 can beengaged with the second female engagement portion 21 (see FIG. 2) in thesewing machine 1 (see FIG. 1).

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, within a portion of space surrounded bythe planar portion 61 and the peripheral wall portions 64, 65, etc., adividing wall 76 which divides the space portion in the back-to-forthdirection may be provided along an edge on the opposite side of thesandwiched portion 79 having the substantially laterally-placed U-shapein plan view. In one of the portions divided by the dividing wall 76,substantially rectangular solid-shaped support legs 72 and 75 may beaxially and rotatably supported and housed. The support legs 72 and 75may be erected and projected downward from the embroidery unit cover 60when used, to support the embroidery unit cover 60 in a configurationsuch that the embroidery unit cover 60 is attached to the sewing machine1 (see FIG. 1) so that the embroidery unit cover 60 may be used as aside table. The support legs 72 and 75 may have substantiallyrectangular solid-shaped support leg body portions 70 and 73, supportleg tip portions 71 and 74, and support leg axial portions 77 and 78,respectively.

The support leg axial portions 77 and 78 may be used to axially supportthe support legs 72 and 75 on the embroidery unit cover 60. The supportleg axial portions 77 and 78 may be respectively provided at the ends ofthe support leg body portions 70 and 73. The support legs 72 and 75 maybe axially supported by the embroidery unit 60 at the corners of theembroidery unit cover 60. The support legs 72 and 75 may be rotatedabout the support leg axial portions 77 and 78 as their respective baseaxes to be positioned in a substantially vertical posture and ahorizontal posture parallel to the back-to-forth direction. If theembroidery unit cover 60 is used as an embroidery unit cover in aconfiguration such that the embroidery unit cover 60 is placed over theembroidery unit 30 (see FIG. 3), the support legs 72 and 75 may be keptin the horizontal posture so that they may not interfere with theembroidery unit 30 (see FIG. 3). On the other hand, if the embroideryunit cover 60 is attached to the sewing machine 1 (see FIG. 1) and usedas a side table as shown in FIG. 10, the support legs 72 and 75 may bekept in a substantially vertical posture to support the embroidery unitcover 60. The embroidery unit cover 60 may be provided with buttingportions (not shown). Therefore, if the support legs 72 and 75 arerotated, the support legs 72 and 75 respectively abut against thebutting portions and cannot be rotated any more from the substantiallyvertical posture. Such a configuration enables keeping the support legs72 and 75 in the substantially vertical posture. Further, to prevent thesupport legs 72 and 75 from freely rotating, frictional resistance iscaused when the support legs 72 and 75 would rotate.

The support leg tip portions 71 and 74 may be disposed on an end of thesupport legs 72 and 75 opposite to the support leg axial portions 77 and78, respectively. The support leg tip portions 71 and 74 may eachcomprise a semispherical tip portion whose spherical surface facestoward the tip and a screw rod portion that protrudes in the oppositedirection to the spherical surface. The screw rod portions may bescrewed into respective screw holes in the support leg body portion 70and the support leg body portion 73.

As shown in FIG. 10, if the embroidery unit cover 60 is attached to thesewing machine 1 and used as a side table, the support legs 72 and 75may be respectively rotated around the support leg axial portions 77 and78 as axes, and used in the substantially vertical posture. By adjustingthe degree of screwing that the screw rod portions of the support legtip portions 71 and 74 are screwed into the support leg body portions 70and 73, it is possible to adjust the entire lengths of the support legs72 and 75. Therefore, the same embroidery unit cover 60 can be used as aside table even if the sewing machine 1 is used on an uneven plane orthe embroidery unit cover 60 is attached to another sewing machine.

Next, an outlined configuration of the embroidery unit cover 60 in aconfiguration such that the embroidery unit cover 60 is placed over theembroidery unit 30 will be described below with reference to FIG. 11.

As shown in FIG. 11, the embroidery unit cover 60 may be placed over theembroidery unit 30 and used as a cover to prevent dust, etc., fromentering the embroidery unit 30. Further, in a configuration such thatthe embroidery unit cover 60 is placed over the embroidery unit 30, thelocking portion 67 that protrudes from the peripheral wall portion 68 ofthe embroidery unit cover 60 is locked by the locking portion 41 (seeFIG. 3) at the female locking portion 42 of the embroidery unit 30. Withsuch a configuration, the embroidery unit cover 60 can be fixed to theupper side of the embroidery unit 30. In plan view, the embroidery unit30 and the embroidery unit cover 60 may have almost the same shape, sothat the embroidery unit cover 60 can be tightly fitted to theembroidery unit 30. Therefore, the space surrounded by the planarportion 61 and the peripheral wall portion 68 of the embroidery unitcover 60 may be used to cover the slit 39 (see FIG. 3) and theY-carriage mechanism 34 (see FIG. 3) which may particularly needpreventing the entry of dust, etc., in the embroidery unit 30.

In a configuration such that the embroidery unit cover 60 is placed overthe embroidery unit 30, the third engagement portion 62 that protrudesfrom the embroidery unit cover 60 and the first engagement portion 35that protrudes from the embroidery unit 30 may be disposed in parallelto each other in the up-and-down direction. Similarly, the fourthengagement portion 63 provided on the embroidery unit cover 60 and thesecond engagement portion 43 (see FIG. 3) provided on the embroideryunit 30 that may be engaged with the second female engagement portion 21(see FIG. 1) are disposed in parallel to each other in the up-and-downdirection.

Next, an outlined configuration of the sewing machine 1 and theembroidery unit cover 60 that are engaged with each other will bedescribed below with reference to FIGS. 12-14.

As shown in FIG. 12, when the embroidery unit cover 60 is attached tothe sewing machine 1 and used as a side table, the sandwiched portion 79which may have a substantially laterally-placed U-shape in plan view inthe embroidery unit cover 60 is fitted to the free arm portion 4 of thesewing machine 1. Also, in this configuration, the first femaleengagement portion 20 (see FIG. 1) of the sewing machine 1 is engagedwith the third engagement portion 62 (see FIG. 6) of the embroidery unitcover 60, while the second female engagement portion 21 (see FIG. 1) ofthe sewing machine 1 is engaged with the fourth engagement portion 63(see FIG. 6) of the embroidery unit cover 60.

With such a configuration, the upper surface 51 of the bed portion 3 andthe upper surface 52 of the free arm portion 4 of the sewing machine 1,and the planar portion 61 of the embroidery unit cover 60 arerespectively held at positions at almost the same height to form asubstantially horizontal surface. Therefore, the substantiallyhorizontal surface can be used as a table surface. In thisconfiguration, because the right-to-left directional width of the planarportion 61 of the embroidery unit cover 60 may be about 1.5 times of theright-to-left directional width of the free arm portion 4 of the sewingmachine 1, a substantially horizontal larger surface portion can be usedas a side table. The operation mode may be switched halfway through asewing process by using a sewing machine, from utility stitch sewingthat forms stitches while a work cloth is fed with the feed dog, toembroidery sewing that utilizes an embroidery unit. In such aconfiguration, conventionally, a space for the embroidery unit coverthat is removed from the embroidery unit, would block the work space. Incontrast, the embroidery unit cover 60 of the present disclosure can beused as a side table, so that the work space can be used effectively.Moreover, the user need not prepare a side table separately, thusimproving the economic efficiency.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the up-and-down width of theperipheral wall portion 68 on the embroidery unit cover 60 is about 2/3of the up-and-down width of the bed portion 3 in the sewing machine 1.Therefore, when the embroidery unit cover 60 is attached to the sewingmachine 1, a gap may be formed below the embroidery unit cover 60. Inthis configuration, the support legs 72 and 75 may be positioned in asubstantially vertical posture, and the embroidery unit cover 60 may beattached to the sewing machine 1. In this configuration, the supportlegs 72 and 75 are held to support the embroidery unit cover 60 at theend side opposite to the sewing machine 1. Further, the support leg tipportions 71 and 74 at the tips of the respective support legs 72and 75may be adjusted as necessary. Therefore, it is possible to adjust thelengths of the support legs 72 and 75 so that the support legs 72 and 75can adequately support the embroidery unit cover 60.

Thus, it is possible to support one end side of the embroidery unitcover 60 with the engagement portions 62 and 63, and support the otherend side thereof with the support legs 72 and 75. Therefore, a formedside table surface can be held stably, thereby enabling sewing alarge-sized work cloth easily.

Although the above example employs a planar portion having asubstantially laterally-placed U-shape as the shape of the embroideryunit cover 60 in plan view, the present disclosure is not limitedthereto. Any other shape may be employed as the shape of the embroideryunit cover 60 so long as the shape is the same as the shape of theembroidery unit 30 in plan view and such that the embroidery unit cover60 can be placed over the embroidery unit 30 to cover the embroideryunit 30. Further, although the shapes, numbers, and protruding positionsof the engagement portions 62 and 63 that protrude from the peripheralwall portions 64 and 65 of the embroidery unit cover 60 are specified inthe example, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Any othershapes, numbers, and protruding positions may be employed as theengagement portions 62 and 63 so long as they can be engaged with thefemale engagement portions 20 and 21 of the sewing machine 1 and suchthat the embroidery unit cover 60 can be held through the engagement.Furthermore, although the shapes, axial supporting positions, andoperating postures of the support legs 72 and 75 provided on theembroidery unit cover 60 are specified in the example, the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto. Any other shapes, axial supportingpositions, and operating postures may be employed as the side table solong as they can be supported when the embroidery unit cover 60 isattached to the sewing machine 1 to be used as the side table.

Although the embroidery unit cover 60 forms a side table in the aboveexample, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Alternatively, aside table may form the embroidery unit cover 60. Although the shape ofthe side table is substantially U-shape in plan view in the example, thepresent disclosure is not limited thereto. Any other shape may beemployed as the side table so long as they can be attached to the sewingmachine 1. Although the shapes, numbers, and protruding positions of theengagement portions that protrude from the peripheral wall of the sidetable are specified in the example, the present disclosure is notlimited thereto. Any other shapes, numbers, and protruding positions maybe employed as the engagement portions can be engaged with the femaleengagement portions 20 and 21 of the sewing machine 1 such that the sidetable can be held through the engagement. Although the shapes, numbers,and protruding portions of the locking portions that protrude from theperipheral wall of the side table are specified in the example, thepresent disclosure is not limited thereto. Any other shapes, numbers,and protruding positions maybe employed as far as the locking portionscan be locked by the female locking portions. Although the shapes, axialsupporting positions, and operating conditions of the support legsprovided on-the side table are specified in the example, the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto; Any other shapes, axial supportingpositions, and operating postures may be employed as the side table solong as they can be supported in a configuration such that the sidetable is attached to the sewing machine.

As explained above, an embroidery unit cover of the present disclosureincludes a planar portion that forms a substantially horizontal surfacewith a bed portion and a free arm portion of a sewing machine, aperipheral wall portion that runs continuously along a peripheral borderof the planar portion and that extends vertically downward from theplanar portion, and a first engagement portion that is provided to theperipheral wall portion. Therefore, when the embroidery unit cover isattached to the sewing machine, the embroidery unit cover forms a sidetable having the planar portion as a table surface. Accordingly, a spacefor the embroidery unit cover to be placed may be unnecessary, therebyenabling effective utilization of a work space.

Further, a side table of the present disclosure includes a planarportion that forms a substantially horizontal surface with a bed portionand a free arm portion of a sewing machine, a peripheral wall portionthat runs continuously along a peripheral border of the planar portionand that extends vertically downward from the planar portion, a firstengagement portion that is provided to the peripheral wall portion, anda locking portion that locks with an embroidery unit. Therefore, whenthe side table is placed over the embroidery unit, the side table formsa cover that prevents dust etc. from entering the embroidery unit.

Still further, a sewing machine of the present disclosure includes anengagement portion that can be engaged with an embroidery unit cover ora side table, on at least one of a bed portion and a free arm portion.Therefore, the embroidery unit cover or the side table can be attachedto the sewing machine.

While various features have been described in conjunction with theexamples outlined above, various alternatives, modifications,combinations, variations, and/or improvements of those features and/orexamples may be possible. Accordingly, the examples, as set forth above,are intended to be illustrative. Various changes may be made withoutdeparting from the broad spirit and scope of the underlying principles.

1. An embroidery unit cover that covers an embroidery unit to beattached to a sewing machine for sewing embroidery, the embroidery unitcover comprising: a planar portion that forms a substantially horizontalsurface combined with a bed portion of the sewing machine and a free armportion provided to the bed portion; a peripheral wall portion that runscontinuously along a peripheral border of the planar portion and thatextends vertically downward from the planar portion; and a firstengagement portion that is disposed on the peripheral wall portion andthat is structured to be attached to and detached from a secondengagement portion disposed on at least one of the bed portion and thefree arm portion, wherein the embroidery unit cover forms a side tablewith the free arm portion when the first engagement portion and thesecond engagement portion are engaged with each other.
 2. The embroideryunit cover according to claim 1, wherein: the first engagement portionhas a protruding shape that fits into the second engagement portion ofthe sewing machine; and the planar portion is held at a height that issubstantially the same as the bed portion and the free arm portion whenthe first engagement portion is fitted into the second engagementportion.
 3. The embroidery unit cover according to claim 1, furthercomprising: a support leg that supports the embroidery unit cover in aconfiguration, wherein: the first engagement portion and the secondengagement portion are engaged with each other, and the support leg ispositioned so that the support leg is able to be switched between ahousing position such that the support leg is in a substantiallyhorizontal posture and a use position such that the support leg is in asubstantially vertical posture.
 4. The embroidery unit cover accordingto claim 1, wherein the planar portion has substantially the same shapeas an upper surface of the embroidery unit in plan view and can beplaced over the entire upper surface of the embroidery unit.
 5. A sidetable to be attached to a sewing machine, comprising: a planar portionthat forms a substantially horizontal surface combined with a bedportion of the sewing machine and a free arm portion provided to the bedportion; a peripheral wall portion that runs continuously along aperipheral border of the planar portion and that extends verticallydownward from the planar portion; a first engagement portion that isdisposed-on the peripheral wall portion and that is structured to beattached to and detached from a second engagement portion disposed on atleast one of the bed portion and the free arm portion; and a firstlocking portion that locks with an embroidery unit that is attachable tothe sewing machine for sewing an embroidery, wherein the side tableforms a cover that can be placed over the embroidery unit.
 6. The sidetable according to claim 5, wherein the first locking portion protrudesfrom the peripheral wall portion and locks with a second locking portiondisposed on a peripheral border of the embroidery unit.
 7. The sidetable according to claim 5, wherein a portion surrounded by the planarportion and the peripheral wall portion covers an entire upper surfaceof the embroidery unit.
 8. The side table according to claim 5, furthercomprising: a support leg that supports the side table in aconfiguration, wherein: the first engagement portion and the secondengagement portion are engaged with each other, and the support leg ispositioned so that the support leg is able be switched between a housingposition such that the support leg is in a substantially horizontalposture and a use position such that the support leg is in asubstantially vertical posture.
 9. A sewing machine with an embroideryunit cover that can be attached to and detached from the sewing machine,the sewing machine comprising: a bed portion; a free arm portion; and asecond engagement portion that is disposed on at least one of the bedportion and the free arm portion and that enables the engagement of theembroidery unit cover according to claim
 1. 10. A sewing machine with aside table is structured to be attached to and detached from the sewingmachine, the sewing machine comprising: a bed portion; a free armportion; and a second engagement portion that is disposed on at leastone of the bed portion and the free arm portion and that enables theengagement of the side table according to claim 5.